Now that we’ve covered health warning signs from the inside of your body, it’s time to address skin remedies you can use to take care of the outside of your body. Dr. Oz is joined by Dr. Doris Day, dermatologist, to discuss common skin issues and what you can do about them.

Skin Remedies: Eczema

Eczema is excessively dry skin. In addition to the dry skin, those with eczema also experience red skin and rashes. To help get rid of the itchy dry skin, mix a half cup of baking soda into a warm bath. Allow your body to soak for a half hour. The baking soda will help soothe your skin.

Skin Remedies: Fever

To help break a fever, drink fluids high in vitamin C. Stick to old classics like orange and cranberry juice, as this will help keep you keep your system regulated and help prevent dehydration.

Skin Remedies: Skin Tags

Skin tags, generally benign, are growths on the skin, most often genetic. They are most likely to occur in places such as the groin and the neck. They can often become irritated by clothing and jewelry. Audience member Nicole says she has them on the back of her neck, and feeling or touching them drives her crazy. Dr. Day says a skin tag can be as small as a sunflower, or as large as a fig. You can tell a skin tag has been on the body for a while if there is hair growing out of it. When hair is growing out of it, though, it is a sign the tag is benign.

Dr. Day suggested not to remove the skin tag on your own, but rather to visit your doctor to have it removed. The doctor will be able to numb the area and use a pair of scissors to remove it. The base of the skin is hten burned to keep the skin tag from scarring or returning. Nicole’s skin tag was removed on stage, and she maintained she didn’t feel it.

Skin Remedies: Hives

Hives, raised red patches on the skin, occur when the body releases histamine. This happens for a variety of reasons, but the most common reason is because of allergies. When the body is exposed to allergens, the immune system gets an alert and releases histamine. When you get hives, your body is just hypersensitive and reacting accordingly to a cold, virus, or another irritant. The most common treatment is antihistamines, such as: Benadryl, Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra. Cortizone creams applied to the skin may help stop the itching, but they won’t treat the hives.

Skin Remedies: Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown toenails are caused by high friction from closed toe shoes, dancing, running, etc. as well as by genetics. They can also be caused by the way you cut your toenails. Regardless, they are painful and highly uncomfortable.

Dr. Oz suggests making sure your toe nails are properly cut. You should cut them straight across to prevent edges that can grow in the skin. If you already have an ingrown toenail, you should soak your feet in epsom salt. You can also use a tactic known as band-aid therapy, Wear the band-aid backward, to pull the nail away from the nail bed and make it tight to make sure the nail is growing over the skin. This helps your nail to grow over the skin, instead of into it.

Next, we see even more health questions addressed to determine if they are truth or fiction.

Can Poppy Seeds Test Positive For Opium?

Many people want to know if poppy seeds can test positive for opium. The urban legend says that by eating poppy seeds, you could test positive for morphine, codeine, and heroin on your drug screen. To test the theory four people were asked to eat four poppy seed bagels over the course of a half day, and then asked to submit a urine sample for drug testing. The test results showed positive for opiates, which indicated that yes, poppy seeds can disrupt a drug screen, and anyone who knows they have one coming up should avoid eating poppy seeds.If you’re surprised with a test for any reason, make sure it gets on record that you’ve been eating poppy seeds, just in case your test comes back positive.

Can Breast Implants Freeze?

One viewer wants to know if your breast implants can freeze. Because they stay at your body’s core temperature while inside your body, the only way they can freeze is if your entire body freezes. This is true no matter what they’re made of, or where they are placed inside your body.

If they are outside the body, however, implants can and will freeze in the right conditions.

Does Chewing Gum Take 7 Years To Digest?

A popular legend is that if you swallow a piece of gum, it takes seven years to digest in the body. A patient was asked to swallow some gum, and then a scope was used to see if the gum was still in the system. There was no sign of the gum after 12-24 hours as it moved through the intestines. It may take up to three days to get completely out of your system, but it certainly will not sit in your digestive tract for seven years.

Beer Before Liquor: Myth or Reality?

If you’ve ever had alcohol, chances are you’ve heard this motto at some point: “Beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, in the clear.” How does science support this, if at all?

All alcohol is metabolized the same way–it doesn’t matter what you drink, it matters how much you drink. Your body can only handle about one drink an hour. The Doctors suggest drinking a glass of water between drinks, to help slow down the pressure on your liver.

Next on The Doctors, we see more of your health and wellness questioned answered.

Are Bears Attracted To Menstrual Blood?

Some women are worried about bears being attracted to the smell of menstrual blood and want to know if it is safe to go camping while on your period. Dr. Lisa says that while this is a good question, the only bear who has responded to menstrual blood is the polar bear, which you will not encounter while camping. It is a myth that black an grizzly bears will attack women on their period.

Is It Bad To Lick Your Wounds?

Yes, and no. The saliva has some antimicrobial properties, but it is a cesspool of bacteria, so you don’t want to excessively lick them. If you have an open wound on your hand from hitting someone in the mouth, the doctors worry about the bacteria from the other person’s mouth. Paper cuts and other small injuries are not as much cause for worry, but your best bet is to always clean the wound with high pressure water or saline.

Can Your Uterus Fall Out?

One viewer shares a story she heard that your uterus can fall out while you’re walking down the street. Dr. Lisa says this is actually true–your uterus can fall out, but it would never hit the ground because it is attached to your body with ligaments. As you age, or have multiple children, the uterine muscles can weaken and cause the uterus to fall down into the vagina.

How to Stop Uterine Prolapse

If you experience intense lower back pain, or feel like a ball is in your vagina, or experience pain during intercourse, these are symptoms of uterine prolapse, or your uterus moving down into your vagina. If it moves all the way out of the vagina, this is known as Uterine Procidentia, and both cases are usually corrected by surgery. If you want to prevent this from happening, you should use Kegel exercises to strengthen the uterine muscles.

Ink Poisoning & Writing On Your Hands

Many people wonder if writing on your hands can cause you to get ink poisoning. The Doctors say they they do it all the time, and most inks are safe and non-toxic so you really don’t have anything to worry about. He does note to look for products containing Xyline, as this has been known to produce an allergic reaction in some people. The only way you really need to be concerned is if the ink gets into an open wound.

Can A Fetus Fart?

A fetus can actually move their bowels at full term in the uterus, secreting a substance known as Maconium. In some cases, the fetus will swallow it with amniotic fluid. This can cause complications, but is easily addressed at birth. While a baby can pass gas in utero, it is not generally something you need to worry about, and you likely won’t even feel.

On today’s show, The Doctors answer health related questions from all over the country to address whether they are myth or reality.

Aeroshot Caffeine Inhaler Review

If you start off your morning with coffee or need a jolt of caffeine to really yourself started, you don’t have to drink your coffee anymore! Dr. Jim Sears introduced the new Aeroshot Caffeine Inhaler, which provides roughly 100 mg of caffeine per inhalation. That’s equal to a large cup of coffee.

He shows how the powder is used, and tells us it tastes like citrus. The powder lands on your tongue and is absorbed through your mouth. The manufacturer recommends you use this product no more than three times per day.

Caffeine Suppository Review

Is the option of drinking or inhaling your coffee not enough for you? Dr. Andrew Ordon revealed another method for getting your morning boost: Caffeine Suppositories. He tells us they are used during religious fasts and to treat headaches. They come pre-lubricated for easier insertion.

Dr. Travis Stork says the suppository idea is “nasty” and the last thing we need is companies giving us new options to load up on caffeine. He recommends sticking to coffee and tea because they have a load of antioxidants in them too, which one study has linked to an 80% decrease in the risk for Parkinson’s Disease.

Coffee Health Benefits

“Two cups of coffee a day can cut your risk of gallstones in half,” Dr Travis said. He did note most of the coffee health benefits come from the beans themselves, rather than drinking coffee.

Dr. Travis says the industry is getting out of control and people need to stop and take a second to think about what they are putting in their bodies.This is when Dr. Sears steps into say the people who made Aeroshot are also looking into how to use their caffeine delivery system for insulin and vaccinations.

How Much Caffeine Is Safe?

Dr. Lisa says you should limit your caffeine to no more than 300 mg per day because more than this can make sleeping difficult. Since caffeine’s half life is 6 hours, you can disrupt your deep sleep patterns by having it too late in the evening.

Dr. Ordon says people who suffer from high blood pressure, have heart disease, or women who are pregnant or nursing should be extra careful when it comes to caffeine intake.

Can Alarm Clocks Cause Heart Attacks?

A study out of Japan showed that people who get woken up by the sound of a rude alarm clock have a bigger risk for high heart rate and blood pressure, because it initiates the body’s “fight or flight” response. This, over time, could cause chronic stress and may lead to heart attacks.

Dr. Stork says an alarm clock interrupting deep sleep will certainly raise your heart rate and levels. He suggests using natural light to wake yourself up without an alarm clock. If you must get up before the sun comes up, he suggests having your lights come on with a timer. If this can’t work for you, choose an alarm clock with a more soothing sound to wake you.

Freshman 15: Myth or Reality?

You may have heard about the Freshman 15; or the adage that you will gain 15 pounds your freshman year of college. While some people gain this and more, this is actually a myth. Dr. Lisa says most students will gain anywhere from 2.4 to 3.5 pounds the first year, and won’t even gain the full 15 over the entire four years of college. The weight gain is likely due to poor dietary choices because of the college food court, and a lack of activity. Stick to everything in moderation, focus on healthy snacks and get yourself moving to avoid the weight gain.

Myth Or Reality: Frogs Cause Warts

One viewer says he wants a pet front but his mom won’t let him get one because they cause warts? Is this truth or fiction? Dr. Ordon says this is a myth and frogs do not cause warts. Viruses cause warts. Most of what see is the body’s reaction to the virus, and not the virus itself, so it’s natural to think that if you saw a wart after touching a frog, the frog may have been the cause. The virus is contagious, and so are warts.

We meet Andy and Jenny Atkins, who took their four-year-old son Logan on vacation with them to Honduras. When they were on a sight-seeing flight, the plane lost an engine and crashed. Jenny was unconscious and trapped in the plane, but the pilot worked to free her. Andy immediately went to look for his son, Logan, who was missing. Thanks to doctors who were on a nearby boat, the family was taken to the hospital and live to sit in the audience.

Dr. Travis Stork poses the question everyone who has ever been in a plane has wondered at some point: “What happens when you know the plane is about to crash?”

Aspiration Pneumonia

Jenny says she didn’t really know they’d crashed until they were upside down in the water. She was able to free her son before she passed out. As a result of swallowing so much water, Andy suffered a lung infection after the crash. The infection is known as aspiration pneumonia and it happens after swallowing a lot of air and water, particularly salt-water. If you are ever in a situation where you swallow a lot of air and water, you should get this checked out immediately to help avoid a more serious infection later.

How To Survive a Plane Crash on Water

If you are ever in a plane crash on water, stay upwind of the wreckage, but remain near it to give rescuers a better chance of finding you.Keep your eye out for floatation devices and string them together if possible, to increase your visibility. Watch for injured victims and help them get to raft as soon as possible. Avoid fuel or oil anywhere on the water, as this could catch fire.

How To Survive If You’re Stranded

If you’re stranded, the first thing you need to do is find a clean water source, because the body cannot go more than 7 days without it. You should also try to find a source of food, but keep in mind that you can survive for up to 40 days without it. Deal with injuries however necessary, and find shelter from the sun so you can rest and reduce your body’s need to burn calories. Once you’ve gotten shelter and injuries taken care of, focus your energy on attracting attention to yourself so you can be rescued.

Can Living at a Higher Altitude Help You Cheat Death?

A woman asked if living at a higher altitude can help you cheat death. Dr. Andrew Ordon tells her it is true people who live at a high altitude have a 22% lower risk of developing Coronary Artery Disease and suffering from a heart attack. Dr. Jim Sears explains: lower oxygen levels at high altitudes seem to cause genetic changes that increase your blood vessel supply to the heart to create the lower risk.

Many people don’t realize there are actually “squishy” discs in your back between the vertebrae. Aging causes these discs to break down, leading to pain and a number of other health issues. Dr. Tim Davis comes on the show to explain a treatment for this condition so many of us suffer from as part of the aging process. Dr. Davis says this is a “minimally invasive” surgery that uses stem cells to naturally repair the disc tissue. When stem cells are taken from a patient’s fat cells or bone marrow and are injected into the discs to allow them to repair themselves from the inside out.

The FDA is currently conducting a trial to determine if cells can be used from donor patients. It will be years before information is known, and before this treatment could be put into effect. The study Dr. Davis is referencing is only focusing on bone marrow stem cells, and not on stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

Wall Squats Exercise

Dr. Travis Stork says wall squats are an excellent way to boost your energy levels, and you can do them any time you want, nearly anywhere you want. If you want to do wall squats, put your back against a wall, bending at the knees and lowering yourself as if you were sitting in an invisible chair.

You may find them difficult at first, but they are a good form of exercise. Dr. Travis maintains this exercise will boost your heart rate and metabolism.

Dr. Travis says a good way to work them into your daily routine is to do them during commercials while you watch your favorite shows.

Brown Spots Treatments

Before taping the show, The Doctors had everyone in their audience go through a Visia Complexion Analysis, which is the program that will show you what your face will look like as you age.

Alyson allowed The Doctors to reveal her results on the show. He tells us the software looks at the complexion, looking for UV damage, wrinkles and brown spots. She says her largest concern is brown spots, so Dr. Andrew shows her a variety of products she can use to combat against brown spots on her face.

For best results, Dr. Andrew also recommends visiting a dermatologist for a prescription for Hydroquinone. It will take three to four weeks to start seeing noticeable results, but since the full treatment will last around six months it is worth it. He said results won’t be noticeable for three to four weeks, and the full treatment can last up to six months, but he thinks it’s worth it. You can also use laser therapy to lighten brown spots.

Laser Contact Lens Implants

22-year-old Caroline is legally blind without the use of contacts or glasses. Her vision as been deteriorating since she was 6 years old. She uses hard contacts to help her be able to see.

Doctors want to use a Laser Implantable Contact Lens to correct her astigmatism and restore her vision to (hopefully) 20/20. The implant will be inserted into the correct place with a plunger through a tiny incision in the eye.

Contact Lens Implant Surgery Results

The doctors says that though any eye surgery seems risky, her surgery went perfectly. Her implants should last for the next 30 to 40 years without any problems or discomfort. About a week after her surgery, she says she can “see in HD” compared to what she could see before. She even notes an audience member’s eye color from 40 feet away. She maintains her vision is clear and crisp now, compared to being blind without using her contacts or glasses.

How Tiny Contact Lens Implant Surgery Works

Dr. Robert Maloney explains how the surgery works with a model. Smaller than a fingernail, the lens is inserted behind the iris, which negates the need for maintenance associated with normal contact wear. This works much like LASIK, but due to her severe vision issues, Caroline was a better candidate for this approach.

Before & After Surgery

The Doctors showed an example to demonstrate how bad Caroline’s vison was before the procedure. They used a photograph of a group of people, made so blurry the average person would only be able to tell they were all wearing white t-shirts. The full picture was revealed with actual clarity, where there was a diverse group of people present. Dr. Maloney notes that now Caroline can probably see better than the average person.

Bacon is a highly popular food–and there is a popular addage that bacon makes everything better. The Doctors take a closer look at the Bacon Apocalypse Now, a bacon festival in Des Moines, Iowa. The festival served over 3.5 tons (more than 7,000 pounds) of bacon!

Bacon Flavored Products

The Doctors show us a variety of bacon flavored products, including:

ice cream

popcorn

mints

toothpaste

personal lubricant

The personal lubricant is the one and only bacon flavored personal lubricant on the market today, marketed to people who want to “safely bring bacon into the bedroom.”

Bacon: Health Benefits

The Doctors discuss the health benefits of bacon, noting the presence of things such as oleic acid and choline. These are fatty acids that can help with natal brain development, but they are present in small amounts in bacon. Having said that, the Doctors are not convinced bacon can be healthy for you, noting that eggs contain twice as much choline as what’s found in bacon.

Bacon: Healthy Alternatives

For bacon lovers who can’t live without the flavor, but want to avoid the health risks associated with high bacon consumption, The Doctors have the following alternatives:

Bacon alternatives are available in both beef and turkey variations, which offer health advantages over the traditional pork version. Dr. Jim tells us the preservatives and nitrates used to make bacon can be harmful to children. His recommendation is to look for products that do not contain a high amount of sodium or chemicals used to process the meat product.

Next, we meet a family who survives a plane crash, and The Doctors share some survival techniques to help you.

Next on The Doctors, we meet a man named Tony Cigalia. He was a normal teenager until age 15 when he was in a serious accident where he hit the back of his head on a fast moving jetski. The accident left him in a coma for more than a month. When he awoke, he was more aggressive. His entire personality had changed, and he could no longer recall basic information, including the names of the seasons, or the correct order of the days of the week.

While Tony made good physical recovery, he was still having problems with his mental recovery. His psychologist suggested he pick up a hobby. He chose to look deeper into serial killers and the crimes they committed. He wrote to many of them in prison and received thousands of letters and works of art, and even a tooth from one inmate.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Ian Armstrong and Dr. Travis joined Tony on stage. Tony says he started writing to serial killers for nothing more than a hobby. He wanted to reach out to murderers, because he understood how isolated they felt. After his accident, he was incredibly isolated from his family, friends, and other loved ones. He said the communication with them enabled him to gain their trust, at which point they started to tell secrets. He started using the letters to aid police in investigations.

He says he has been able to solve a cold case in Alaska, and is currently working with the National Federation of Missing and Exploited Children on a few other cold cases.

What Causes a Traumatic Brain Injury

Dr. Armstrong tells us what causes a traumatic brain injury. He says it is caused by a sudden back and forth movement of the brain up against the skull. When this happens, some of the more than 100 billion gray matter nerve cells in your brain, that make up your personality and some of your memories, die off. Dr. Travis says this why some people who suffer a brain injury will forget some things, and may even have an entirely different personality at the end of recovery.

Some injuries won’t be visible by traditional scans such as MRI and CT scans. We see a comparison scan of Tony’s brain before and after the accident. We see a comparison between the normal areas of the brain, and the areas of Tony’s brain that are now damaged. Several things can be associated with brain injuries, including agression, loss of social cues, memory problems, and apathy. Tony says he doesn’t feel disabled compared to someone who is in a wheelchair and has a visible injury.

Dr. Travis says you cannot really predict what a personality change will be, but with an injury severe enough like Tony’s you can make a pretty good guess. He commends his family for sticking with him and supporting him through it, because it can take years for a “full” recovery from a brain injury, and even then there will be things that are never the same.

A book, The Serial Killer Whispererby Pete Earley, explains Tony’s story and connection to serial killers in more depth.